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Home , 2006 Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Al Holbert, Ferrari 512, Hans Herrmann, Herbert Linge

100810-Le-Mans_eng_Innen.indd 2-3 15.08.17 11:50 10 WARM-UP

24 START C 26 Friendship 52 Benedikt Rauch 56 Chad McQueen

60 RACE 62 LEGENDARY 70 : 1970 RACE O 72 Breathless through the night 74 – Le Mans winner 1970 78 – Le Mans winner 1970 82 Peter Falk – Le Mans technician 1970 86 – Le Mans technician 1970 90 – Technician, racing driver and pilot of the camera car at Le Mans 1970 94 Kurt Ahrens – Racing driver, competitor at Le Mans 1970 98 RACE CARS N 100 The dominator: 917 102 The red rival: 512 S 104 A lap back then with Hans Herrmann 108 A lap today with

110 MAKING OF 112 FIVE MONTHS OF MOVIE HISTORY 116 Minimal: the plot T 120 The movie fleet 124 A VILLAGE IS THE WORLD: SOLAR VILLAGE 128 STORIES FROM THE SET 134 Dr. Christian Riml – Production Assistant ¸ 136 Adriano Cimarosti – Journalist and movie extra 138 Richard Attwood – Driver in the movie and Le Mans winner 1970 140 Jürgen Barth – Driver in the movie, engineer and Le Mans winner 1977 142 Derek Bell – Driver in the movie and Le Mans winner 1975, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987 E 146 Herbert Linge – Driver in the movie, engineer and racing driver 152 David Piper – Driver in the movie and racing driver 156 STUNTMEN 158 Profile Dr. Erich Glavitza: Scrap-metal makers 162 Peter Huber – Stuntman 166 BEHIND THE SCENES: WHATEVER IT TAKES 174 BITS & PIECES

N 182 HERITAGE 184 45 YEARS ON 186 -0301502 188 -022 190 -023 192 A star on the wrist 198 , nine-time Le Mans winner and record holder: Thoughts on Le Mans 200 , Actor and racing driver: The new McQueen? T 202 Fredy Zurbrügg, cook and gastronome: On Steve Steak and other morsels

208 FINISH

100810-Le-Mans_eng_Innen.indd S 4-5 15.08.17 11:50 The 24 Hours of Le Mans – a legend that has lost none of its luster to this day. It’s one of the oldest and most prestigious races on the planet; many experts would even say it’s the world’s greatest. The famous Le Mans start was invented here in 1925, and went on to become widely used in racing for decades. Many drivers felt it was simply too dangerous, and six-time winner helped bring the practice to an end when, in 1969, he slowly strolled over to his Ford GT 40, started from the back of the pack and still won the race. Since 1971, the Le Mans 24 Hours has started with a formation lap followed by a flying start.

As far as I’m concerned, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the most fascinating motorsport event. I’ll never forget how honored I felt to drive the fully-restored winning car of ¸ 1939 around the famous circuit.

Steve McQueen paid a unique tribute to the legend of Le Mans by producing authentic footage with unprecedented meticulousness and immense effort – and with no concern for the expense. The film tells of the rivalry between Porsche and Ferrari and of the duel between the two drivers Michael Delaney and Erich Stahler, played by Steve McQueen and Siggi Rauch.

A great deal has already been published about this story. Nevertheless, there are still many exciting anecdotes that have never been recorded. Only a few people know about the close friendship between Siegfried Rauch and Steve McQueen. Steve was godfather to Benedikt Rauch, and with their wives Karin and Neile, the actors visited each other in Bavaria and Hollywood.

Exclusive and as yet unpublished documents from these encounters have come to light, including letters from Steve to Siggi and private photos from the families’ albums – enough material to enable us to dive even deeper into this topic in Our Le Mans – the film, the friendship, the facts.

I would like to thank Karin and Siegfried Rauch for their trust, their openness and their warmheartedness, and Benedikt Rauch for his support. Thank you to Dirk Bartling for giving this book project the decisive push. My thanks also to Nadja Kneissler, Alexander Failing, Christian Steiger, Frank B. Meyer and Hartmut Lehbrink for the constructive and inspiring discussions, for sharing the passion, and for their extensive and very helpful support, without which this book would never have come into existence.

Hans Hamer

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100810-Le-Mans_eng_Innen.indd 6-7 15.08.17 11:50 At the Rauch’s home in Upper Bavaria, McQueen discovers an ideal world.

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100810-Le-Mans_eng_Innen.indd 14-15 15.08.17 11:50 ¸ F R I E NSHIP D

Sporting friends: While Siegfried Rauch likes to keep fit with a road bike, McQueen prefers the powerful off-road bike.

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Sparks sometimes flew during discussions with John Sturges’ successor, Lee Katzin.

100810-Le-Mans_eng_Innen.indd 28-29 15.08.17 11:50 ¸ LE G E LE MANS ND AR

In 1987, a chicane is added at the fast approach to the famous to reduce the . In 2005 and 2006, this passage is further modified to accommodate a larger run-off area, especially for motorcycle races.

Y 63

100810-Le-Mans_eng_Innen.indd 62-63 15.08.17 11:51 Only change is constant: Like the Grand Prix circuit in the Principality of Monaco, the storied racetrack of Le Mans has received ongoing modifications; for instance the 1991 and 1992 upgrade to a new and modern pit complex. Driving errors are now punished less severely.

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100810-Le-Mans_eng_Innen.indd 64-65 15.08.17 11:51 Le Mans – it’s one of those alluring names; dazzling, Each stands for something different: Monaco repre- enigmatic, complex. sents grace, glamour, and glory – the ultimate Grand Prix; Indy epitomizes the full-throttle orgy; and The fact that the city of Le Mans is the capital of the Le Mans is the apotheosis of long-distance sports department, in the catchment area of the car racing. Somebody once came up with the idea of Loire, with a slow-growing population of 144,000, is a Triple Crown, an imaginary distinction for victory at ¸ largely irrelevant in this part of the world. Such facts all three events. To this day only one person has are known only to the types of people who sit in the managed this feat: the mustached Englishman torture chair of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The , Formula 1 World Champion of 1962 and architectural treasures, including a Gallo-Roman city 1968, five-time winner in the Principality between wall from the third century and the elegantly but- 1963 and 1969, winner in 1966, and vic- tressed Romanesque-Gothic Saint Julien Cathedral, tor on the Sarthe circuit in 1972. Surprisingly, Hill have never really been on the tourist trail. And con- never receives a front-row in the ranks of the noisseurs from abroad aren’t exactly clambering over greatest. each other to sample the culinary delights of the city’s one and only -star restaurant. Our current hotshot, , notches up victories at Indy (2000) and Monaco (2004), but It’s a little-known fact that England’s King Henry II stubbornly refuses to take on Le Mans. From 29 at- was born in Le Mans. But it’s an important one – tempts, the brilliantly versatile wins after all, it was he who, on 29 December 1170, the only once (1969). There’s talk of famously had four of his knights brutally murder his the Andretti Curse. This jinx also follows the clever clerical adversary and former friend, Chancellor Italian-American to other battlefields: despite his Thomas Becket, at Canterbury Cathedral; a misdeed often-expressed keen interest, the top spot at the Chicanery: Exiting the Ford At the in Spielberg, contested a 1977 with his . Recently, the race organ- that had considerable literary consequences. two other premier events remains elusive, like water chicanes, shown here going week after the Sarthe marathon, Hülkenberg walks izer, Automobile Club de l‘Ouest, has put a stop to and delicious fruit for the thirsty, hungry Tantalus in against the driving direction, through the paddock as if swathed in an invisible the dangerous habit of parking defective but still But history and architecture aside, Le Mans is synon- the Greek myth. the vehicles accelerate toward purple cloak – the sprinter who became a long-dis- drivable cars for hours in the pits or at the side of the the finish line, with the fastest ymous with the 24-hour race, the original that has tance athlete, the 100-meter runner who outpaced racetrack to ultimately limp, wounded, over the line cars doing roughly 125 km/h eclipsed so many clones, like the 24 Hours of Dayto- In the meantime, the days of the all-rounders seem the veterans on their own turf in the 1,500-meter at the end to score. Today, competitors must cover a in third gear. By the time they na, Spa, or the Nürburgring, and even the entire Le to be gone and the specialists have taken over. In event. Sporadic applause greets him; astonishment certain distance in the last hour, and a total of enter the Dunlop curve at the Mans series contested on many continents. A single particular, Formula 1 only reluctantly allows its rac- end of the pit complex they’re at something so utterly unusual. Nico Hülkenberg 70 percent of the winning team’s distance. The victory at the Vingt-Quatre Heures du Mans repre- ers to tackle the classic. In 2015, the F1 chiefs permit already back to 285 km/h in gets the message. Le Mans demands a different type 100 percent record is set in 2010, with an impressive sents the greatest honor there is in this industry. Nico Hülkenberg, one of the most talented young sixth gear. These chicanes are of heroism, a deeper symbiosis with the vehicle, the 5,410 kilometers. With the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand aspirants, to travel to La Sarthe. He promptly returns introduced in 1968 to herd clever management of the reserves of man and ma- Prix, these three classics make up the triumvirate, as the winner. However, the top step of the podiums the field together and reduce chine, complete immersion into the 24 hours with Le Mans at the beginning of the third millennium, the three pinnacles that tower above the swarming at Indy and Monaco remain as blank spaces on his the speed along the following day and night, wind and weather. Ready at all times: however, leaves little room for play. In the hunt for plethora of racing events around the world. And the résumé. Hülkenberg is still young. Perhaps one day straight. Seasoned Le Mans a preparedness for compromise between brutal ever-more distance in ever-decreasing time, the trite greatest of them all? Each of them! he will make the decision to knock Graham Hill off specialist Mark Webber advises speed, and the essence of the time-honored racing and fashionable term ‘deceleration’ is left complete- the pedestal and seize the Triple Crown for himself, caution when negotiating the driver mantra: in order to finish first, you first have to ly by the wayside. Man and machine are usually second chicane, especially as and maybe Lady Luck of the Racetrack will help him finish. competing at 90 percent of their potential, some- the passage is bordered by in his quest. times even more, reveals Mark Webber, a Porsche relatively high curbs. As Le Mans veteran Hans Herrmann knows after factory driver and 2015 World Champion. 14 races here, he who goes like a bat out of hell through Tertre Rouge, Corner, Arnage or Plus, Le Mans creates its own heroes. For many the chicanes in the early phase, has already lost. years, the full-throttle jack-of-all-trades Jacky Ickx “This race has a soul.” More commonly, sensitive Le Mans winners virtually tops the winners’ list with six victories at the 24-hour Jacky Ickx in June 2015 carry their battered cars, like feverish children, over French marathon. Netting two vice championship the finish line. A prime example is Jürgen Barth in titles in the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship 67

100810-Le-Mans_eng_Innen.indd 66-67 15.08.17 11:51 can . And it seems as if it will remain like this forever – until the Dane Tom Kristensen eclipses them all with nine wins between 1997 and 2013.

In the manufacturers’ rankings, Porsche has ad- vanced to the number one spot, with 19 triumphs. sits in second place (13) and then comes Ferrari – unchanged for quite some time now – with 9. In the sixties, the feuds between the Maranello Red and Ford from Detroit turn into a war of the conti- nents, much to the delight of the fans. From 1966 (in 1968 and 1969 under the direction of the gifted ring- leader, ), the American manufacturer’s comparatively crude GT40, in its respective versions, beats the graceful creatures of the grumpy Com- mendatore four times straight. The hellfire of Le Mans traditionally hardens technical innovations, or destroys them; the compressor and turbo engines as Soyez prudent: The Ligne Droite des Hunaudières, also known as the Monumental building: In 1991, the mighty ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) demolishes the modernized pit Mulsanne straight, runs over a public road, the Route Départementale well as the eerily-panting and screaming complex built in 1956 for 300 million francs, and in its place erects an ostentatious new building with a large press D338. Apart from on race weekends, anyone attempting to reach the Wankel motor that propels the 787B to victo- center in the upper floor, and initially 50 spacious garages, later extended to 56 and finally, in 2016, to 60. speeds that are possible here would be prosecuted, with their driving ry in 1991. Of course, the Circuit , which opened in 1965, also benefits from this. license revoked for life – and more. Ultimately, and against all expectations, the and various types of hybrid drives prove to be a winning formula. Nico Hülkenberg’s Porsche 919 is (1969 and 1970), the long-standing national hero of a true miracle of engineering art, an outstanding ex- at the is not only the eager-to-serve team- And Le Mans means death, never more horrendous seems to have mastered the quirks and dra- ample of cutting-edge downsizing, built around a mate, ready to jump into the cockpit, but also a small than in the catastrophic year of 1955. After the colli- mas of the French classic best. With a spectacular two-liter V4 with direct fuel injection, very effective- picnic with champagne and truffle-infused foie gras, sion of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR, driven by the campaign, he dispels an old custom, the famous ly assisted by two powerful energy recovery systems comparable to supper at the opera festival of Glyde- Frenchman (aka Pierre Bouillin), parts Le Mans start. From time immemorial, the pilots had ( and exhaust energy). Added up, the round, bourne, back home. This is , after all. fly like bullets through the crowds opposite the pits. sprinted across the finish straight in a semi-choreo- voluptuous, almost magical horsepower figure More than 80 people are killed. It’s the worst acci- graphic, semi-athletic exercise, to their waiting cars. comes to 1,000. The decisive impetus for production, In 1967, a premier is celebrated in 1967 which en- dent in the history of the sport, which is changed In 1969, Ickx pointedly strolls over the track, leisurely cited repeatedly as an argument by motor racing ad- tails a flagrant disregard for champagne. After his forever. buckles himself into the cockpit of his Ford GT40, vocates, turns into a spectacle at Le Mans. In 1953, win in the muscular GT40 MkIV, with fellow US rac- heads off amongst the mid-fielders – and wins by a for example, the withstands its baptism of ing legend A.J. Foyt, the tall Californian Le Mans means spectacular scenes, like the high-al- hair’s breadth in a breathtaking finale against Hans fire in the Jaguar C-Type. Two years later, the air stands at the very top of victory stand. Below him are titude flight of the Mercedes-Benz CLR in 1999, the Herrmann at the wheel of his Porsche 908. brake on the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR proves unsat- the company VIPs under the leadership of Henry Ford result of an aerodynamic inconsistency, from which isfactory. On the roads, it would have looked rather II, and a number of journalists who made disparaging Mark Webber and miraculously es- In 1970, the practice of parking cars diagonally in strange. remarks about the 1967 Le Mans project. Gurney cape almost uninjured. From 2006, the Vingt-Quatre front of the pits is upheld. However, the drivers must shakes the magnum of Moët & Chandon and uncere- Heures du Mans, previously reserved for a select now be sitting behind the steering wheel. The fol- Le Mans – a tradition that began with the first race moniously empties the contents on their heads. And group of spectators at the track, is broadcast live on lowing year, the organizer gives in to demands for a twice around the clock on 26–27 May 1923; or to put thus the tradition of the champagne shower is born. television into living rooms around the world – free rolling start – a thoroughly sensible and modern em- it another way, it represents constantly changing entertainment for all. In this regard, too, Steve ulation of the Indianapolis 500. Derek Bell is hot on regulations and track layouts. It means torture for Le Mans means chaos, hype, and slowly-ticking min- McQueen is a pioneer. His movie plays a dual role: it Ickx’s heels with five Le Mans wins under his belt, the drivers and vehicles, although initially many as- utes; rain, fog and chill, the burning question about catches hold of the , and gives it a yet with none of the drama; Bell joins the Belgian in pects are treated rather freely. A whole convoy of the meaning of life in the pale light of dawn, the un- boost. a team three times; twice he’s paired with his fa- British club racers flocks to the Promised Land on the shakable decision never again to return, the excited vored teammate Hans-Joachim Stuck and the Ameri- other side of the English Channel. Awaiting the pilot anticipation to soon be back in the action. 69

100810-Le-Mans_eng_Innen.indd 68-69 15.08.17 11:51 ¸ S STORIES FROM THE E T In Solar Village and in the pits, it’s more common to see young faces. Youthfulness signifies openness, curiosity, the courage to take risks. More than 40 of the main players are racers in their 20s and 30s. If racing drivers make it through their active racing careers alive, they tend to get old … really old. Hence, there are still a great number of Le Mans characters amongst us today.

And there’s something else: For many, those months in 1970 provided an extraordinary experience, if not the most significant event of their lives. It seems to stick in their memories as if it had happened just yesterday. For this reason, the magic word Le Mans turns out to be a key to doors and hearts – that is, if they hadn’t already been wide open before.

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Just hold it, don’t play with it: Stuntman Peter Huber has driven a Suzuki T 350 straight out of the dealership, with sparkling chrome, tailored tank, racing seat and handlebars. Although he has a fleet of bikes himself at Solar Village, Steve McQueen is

allowed to take a seat. ¸ “A makeup artist once wanted to apply sweat to Steve’s face. Instead, he drove a couple of laps and looked authentic.” Siegfried Rauch

It’s all a question of perspective: Whether it’s the “open-top” GT40 camera transporter or the Porsche 917 with bizarre tubular scaffolding at the rear, Steve McQueen has a hand in every aspect of the movie. It’s understandable, but it leads to heated disputes. ¸

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Setting his sights: Surrounded by a professional camera crew, Steve McQueen finds the right angle. Many of the photos show a shirtless McQueen. Fortunately, most of the filming is done in sunshine and warm tem- peratures; unfortunately this doesn’t fit with the terrible weather conditions

during the race. ¸ ¸

Blondes preferred? In Solar Village and all around the racetrack there’s no lack of beautiful women. Steve McQueen isn’t selective when it comes to hair color, but instead reminds In good spirits: McQueen with us of the hero in Max Sister Brigitte from the Convent Frisch’s comedy Don Juan de la Miséricorde at Le Mans. The oder die Liebe zur Geome- British call her Bridget. She’s the trie (Don Juan, or the Love ‘go-to’ girl for medical matters, or of Geometry), who once as a psychotherapist – even for helplessly asked: “I love – heartache, which no one really likes but whom?”

to talk about. ¸

Rendezvous in the paddock: McQueen in the slate-gray 911 meets the two young Austrian stuntmen. Erich Glavitza (far left) has just purchased a Bultaco 250 Matador at ¸ Le Mans, and Peter Huber his Suzuki T 350 with an Quick cabriolet: McQueen out air-cooled two-cylinder, on the racetrack at the wheel two-stroke engine. of the GT40 camera car. Clearly visible is the crude supply ¸ line from the compressed air tanks to the Arriflex on the rear lid. Discussions, as usual, are heated.

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